


A Father's Prerogative

by donutsweeper



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Families of Choice, Found Families, Gen, comfort without the hurt, pizza fixes everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 05:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2840414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutsweeper/pseuds/donutsweeper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry was looking a little rough around the edges.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Father's Prerogative

**Author's Note:**

  * For [csichick_2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/csichick_2/gifts).



Joe had just finished taking the last of the bank employees' statements when he caught Barry out of the corner of his eye rushing up to the crime scene, running late as usual. Joe was pretty sure he was never going to understand how that boy could run at supersonic speeds and yet still be continually late everywhere he went.

"Hey, Barry." Eddie nodded in Barry's direction. "Welcome to another one of the Flash's vigilante crime sprees."

Setting his equipment down, Barry offered a, "Hey Eddie. Hey Joe," while pulling on gloves and looking over the scene in the bank's lobby. 

"Barry," Joe greeted him as he jotted down a few last notes. Then he actually _looked_ at Barry. He did not like what he saw, Barry was too pale for his tastes and his face looked a little sunken, like he'd recently lost some weight. "What can you tell me about what happened here?"

Stepping forward, Barry walked up to the body, squatting down to examine it carefully; his eyes darting around the scene. "He was the only robber. After pulling his gun out he paced around, probably threatening the hostages as he did that, and then shot himself."

"More like he was shot with a little help from the Flash," Eddie muttered.

Joe sighed, Eddie's bias against the Flash was starting to be problematic. He opened his mouth, about to call Eddie out on it when Barry stepped in and spoke up instead. "The gunpowder residue disagrees."

"What?"

"The blowback would have settled differently depending on how the gun was being held. I can tell you more once I get it back to the lab but it looks to me like the residue on the hands is unimpeded. The way you hold a gun when struggling over control of it with someone else is very different than if you're holding it by yourself," Barry explained. "As a result the amount and pattern of residue is noticeably different."

"No. No way."

Instead of calling Eddie out on his dismissal of such an indisputable fact Joe instead said, "That is basic forensics." 

"It may be basic forensics, but witnesses report the Flash reaching for and grabbing the gun just before it discharged," Eddie stated, not even having to consult his notes. Joe was going to have to have a talk with Eddie about his bias against the Flash soon; it was starting to affect his work. (Of course, that might be Joe's own bias talking, but that wasn't at issue at the moment.) 

"Maybe he was trying to grab the weapon before it could be fired?" Barry offered, which Joe suspected was the truth. Poor kid, he'd tried to save the suspect and not only failed but then was accused of murdering him. 

"That's certainly a plausible explanation," Joe offered. "We'll look into it."

Eddie was definitely unhappy with the suggestion but had the good grace not to argue the issue further, at least not at the moment. "When will you know more?"

"I'll do it as fast as I can, but we're still talking a couple of hours and I've still got the GSR tests to run from Thomason's case and a write up on," Barry broke off and shook his head. "All I can promise is that I'll get to I as soon as I can."

"Barry, you have to," Eddie started to argue, but Joe interrupted him.

"Whenever you get to it will be fine. Thank you." Joe clapped Barry on the shoulder

The kid looked so damn relieved and grateful that Joe started to wonder if maybe being the Flash along with being Barry Allen and keeping his day job going was getting to be a bit much for him. Or maybe it was just too many people expecting too many things from him? Joe didn't know and he didn't care, he just knew he was going to do something about it.

He started that evening. Joe, along with most of the station, knew that Barry had worked through lunch trying to catch up on overdue paperwork thanks to the Captain's rather loud lecture earlier that day.Now, it was after seven and Barry was still there, working late, again, so Joe ordered three large pizzas and a salad (figuring even superheroes need their veggies) and brought them up to the lab. "Knock, knock," he said as he entered.

"Hey, Joe." Barry looked up from his paperwork, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Oooh, pizza, thanks. Are you here to help me with my dad's case?"

Joe winced internally, he'd completely forgotten about Henry's case. Barry was working on that in his spare time. Although, Joe couldn't imagine he had much in the way of spare time between the lab and the Flash. No wonder he was looking a little ragged. "Not yet. First, I'm here to feed you - and none of that speed eating you do, I want to see bites taken and actual chewing - and while you're having dinner I'm going to organize a bit around here. Then, we're going to finish getting you caught up on your paperwork. After that, if it's not too late, we'll work on your dad's case."

"If it's not too late," Barry muttered, combining a couple of piles of papers to clear a spot for Joe to put the pizzas down. "I don't know, Joe. Aren't I a little old for you to be telling me what to do now?"

"Nope." Joe picked up the top paper, it was a repair request for the centrifuge that needed to be sent to accounting. "You never outgrow a parent's right, no, obligation, to tell you what to do." Locating an interoffice envelope Joe stuffed the request in, labeled it and then cleared a small area to act as an out tray and put the envelope there with a little pat. There, one thing done.

Barry snorted. "Never?" Joe noted that he'd already eaten a third of the meatza pizza and was currently digging into the salad. So much for the 'eat slowly' order. Oh well.

"Never," Joe said, and then laughed at the mock-horrified look Barry gave him in response.


End file.
